Garry Marshall - My Happy Days in Hollywood: A Memoir

From HAPPY DAYS and

THE ODD COUPLE

to

PRETTY WOMAN and

THE PRINCESS DIARIES

Tales from a Hollywood Legend

This author is available for select readings and lectures. To inquire about a possible appearance, please contact the Random House Speakers Bureau at or (212) 572-2013.

http://www.rhspeakers.com/

Copyright 2012 by Garry Marshall and Lori Marshall

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crown Archetype,
an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com

Crown Archetype with colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Marshall, Garry.

My happy days in Hollywood / Garry Marshall.1st ed.
p. cm.
1. Marshall, Garry. 2. Television producers and directors
United StatesBiography. 3. Motion picture producers and
directorsUnited StatesBiography. I. Title.
PN1992.4.M37A3 2012
791.450233092dc23

[B] 2011042598

eISBN: 978-0-307-88502-9

Jacket design by Laura Duffy
Jacket photograph by Reza Estakhrian/Getty Images

v3.1_r1

For Barbara Sue Wells
and my children and grandchildren

by Hector Elizondo

T HE FIRST TIME I met Garry Marshall I almost knocked his teeth out. The year was 1979. I had flown in from New York City to L.A. to co-star in a series for CBS, Freebie and the Bean with Tom Mason.

I had been working onstage since 1960; in repertory theater, off-Broadway, as well as Broadway. I had already established myself in movies and television, including starring in my own series, Popi, for CBS in 1975 (which was, coincidentally, knocked off the air by the wild success of Happy Days). But I wasnt familiar with TV producers names yet. So, when I was invited by my pal and agent Mark Harris to play in the longest running basketball game in Hollywoodit had been ongoing every Saturday morning since The FloodI said, of course! The game would take place on the home court of writer/producer and soon-to-be-director-extraordinaire, Garry Marshall. Whos that? I say. You know, Mark said, the guy who created Happy Days. No kidding, I replied.

Somehow, the day of the game Mark failed to introduce me to Garry. I had no idea that the tall guy with the wrapped knees who was guarding me like Velcro was, in fact, our host, Garry Marshall. Now Garry has very fast hands (hes a drummer, after all) but not a very fast face: my quick, behind-the-back pass to my teammate was intercepted by Garrys mouth. My host thereby dropped to one knee, whereupon he spat into his hand to check how many teeth he had lost. They were all there. That was good. He motioned me to come over. That was bad. He looked at me with a straight face and said, Youre a terrific actor but a lousy passer. I have a project to talk to you about. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Garry and I have a lot in common: both from New York City (he from the Bronx and me from Manhattan); both kids during WW II; and both products of the great New York City public school system. Then there were the street games, baseball, basketball, and music, music, music. Whatever differences we have are complementary.

My first movie for Garry was Garrys first movie. It didnt take me long to realize that hes a master of comedy and a natural mentor to budding talent. Ive watched him time and again inspire young people who showed an aptitude and zeal for the work, whether it was writing, acting, or producingand always with humor and kindness.

A brief but important moment for me as an actor was when I needed an angle on the character of Barnard Thompson, the hotel manager in Pretty Woman. I went to Garry. He paused for a moment and said, Just create the guy youd like to work for. Simple as that. No long discussion. No deep analysis. A slight suggestion and I made it my own. Weve done seventeen movies together that way.

We were in sync from the start. Its very much like jazz, the music we grew up with. Or like a baseball double play; scoop, second, first, and out. Rhythm.

I have a tendency to get stuck in bemoaning the human condition. Garry pausesand then moves on. He celebrates life. Like Fellini, he loves parades, clowns, and birthdays. Someone said that Garry doesnt shoot a moviehe throws one, like a party. Its true, and hes not beyond the occasional pie-in-the-face like he did to Matt Dillon during The Flamingo Kid. That loosened Matt up while giving him dessert. Since then, Matt has become a fine actor and human being.